Page 6 of Lethal Truths

“How fucking strong you are,” he says firmly, cutting me off as he crouches and puts us more at eye level. “How determined you are. How beautifully broken you are… How perfect you are to me. Yeah, I do, I know all of that.”

“Creed,” I whisper on a shaky plea. “You know that’s not what I mean.” Images of my scars, old and new, flash through my mind. I used to be terrified of a guy fleeing when he saw the scars from the car crash. Now, I realize how silly that was. Those marks were nothing. Battle scars that I’d earned and should have never been so ashamed of. But with nearly my entire body riddled with the evidence of my torture now, I don’t know how someone could ever look past it all. Hell, I could barely look at myself in that mirror.

Creed shrugs, reaching up to push my wayward hair away from my face with the gentlest fingers. “A few more scars won’t change anything for me, Prudence. It doesn’t make you less than. In fact, it makes you a lot like me; only my scars are all on the inside, poisoning my soul,” he rasps. “We’re two jagged halves of a whole, and I can’t wait for you to truly see that. But for now, you just need to relax and focus on healing, alright? So instead of wallowing, take comfort in movies and greasy pizza, and let everything else fuck off for tonight.”

It’s hard for me to relent, but with his passionate words flitting through my mind and easing something broken deep inside me, I do. With a nod, I say, “Okay.”

Creed smiles softly at me, and it’s such an open kind of affection that it makes my throat tight with emotion. “Hungry?” he asks a second later as he stands and heads for the pizza box on his desk.

With his back to me, I take a second to get my mind back on track. Creed has been intoxicating since the moment we met. He’s all dangerous edges and sexual tension, and despite me not wanting to fall right into his trap again, I can’t deny how nice it is to feel safe in his room. To know that he cares enough, for some reason, to promise protection. I want to be firm and not allow myself to think too deeply into it, but with each day, my resolve is growing weaker. Maybe I’ve been starved of love for so long that I’m not thinking clearly in the face of whatever he’s offering. Maybe I’m simply too weak to fight whatever fucked up feelings he stirs in me.

He comes back and sits on the bed, holding a plate out for me, filled with two huge slices of pizza. I smile weakly and take the offered food. “Thanks,” I mumble.

Creed nods, grabbing the remote for the decently sized TV on the opposite wall. He turns to eye me suspiciously, before asking, “Have you ever seen Inception?“ My mouth is full of cheesy, greasy pizza, so I hum out a negative and shake my head. He rolls his eyes with an indignant huff, clicking on the movie and muttering, “If you don’t like it, you can sleep somewhere else from now on.”

I pop my mouth open in mock outrage, slipping my foot out from under the covers to kick his side with just enough force that he almost drops his plate. “You’re hilarious,” I say dryly.

Creed smothers a laugh, shaking his head at me. “Oh, baby, I didn’t mean it. I’d miss you far too much. Even as bruised and broken as you are, I love having you in my bed every night. It’s been a true hardship not to take full advantage,” he says, his voice taking on a husky, sexy tone.

Pretty sure my cheeks flush the deepest red, memories of the last time he explored my body overwhelming me. Even if I never fully trust him, maybe… maybe I can still fuck him. Because now that I know what it’s like, I’m not sure I’ll be able to go too long without.

We settle into a companionable silence after that, eating our pizza and watching the movie. Pretty soon, I find myself tucked into his side under the comforter and drifting off to sleep.

“I want to keep you. My dangerous little Ember, forever,” Creed whispers, so softly that I would have missed it if I were any closer to nodding off.

My heart skips over itself, and I tentatively lift my head to see him. His gaze is so intense, so piercing, that I couldn’t look away if I wanted to. “Sorry?” I mumble, sure I misheard him. My stomach flutters at the thought of having someone who wants me unconditionally. Someone who won’t leave. But as I study his sharp, handsome features, I struggle with myself. I’m drawn to him, I crave his darkness, and yet I’m scared to actually let myself have him. After everything with all three of these guys, I’m far too guarded.

“You chose me,” he explains, his tone soft and caressing. He tips my chin up, brushing his thumb over my lips, and then plants the most heart achingly tender kiss on them. “I didn’t deserve anything from you, least of all your body after all I’d done. But you brought your aching heart up to my door, and you asked me to make it better.”

I’m trapped in his enchanting gravitational pull, and the scariest part is that I don’t want to break free. I want to soak up the warmth and let it wash away everything bad that’s happened in my life. That’s not possible, but maybe he could help absorb some of my never-ending pain.

It’s an absurd, panic-inducing thought. What if I really fall for him, only to be tossed aside again? What if it’s a game for The Celestials, like it was for Griffin? Ugh, damn it all to hell. I did not come to college to date, and yet here I am, getting tangled up with guys who could probably destroy me without blinking. Griffin has already succeeded, actually.

“I don’t know how I can put all my trust in you,” I admit timidly. “I want to. I mean, that’s why I came to you that night after… what Griffin did, and again after the horror in the woods. I need someone to fall back on. And despite it all, I’m drawn to you, but I have to wonder if it’s like a moth to a flame. What if you’re my downfall?”

His brows furrow, and he opens and closes his mouth a few times. Biting his lip, he threads his fingers through mine like he needs to keep me close. “No, you’re right. I may be. I’m a terrible, demented, fucked up person. I’ve done atrocious things, and I’m deep in a world that demands my violence.” He closes his eyes on a low exhale. “But I won’t take part in your demise, not anymore. Having you at my door the other night, broken and crying… Prudence, you came to me of all people when you were at your lowest. In that moment, everything I wanted in life shifted. You’re mine now.”

“And The Celestials?” I ask stiffly, holding my breath while I wait. I wasn’t going to dive right in with an accusation of him being involved, but after Griffin’s admission and… well, everything else, I won’t be blindsided again. I need to know because I can already feel myself leaning into the painful love he’s offering.

Creed’s muscles tense as he blinks at me. “Where did you hear that name?” he asks with a low voice. I open my mouth to answer, but before I can, he shakes his head and says, “Griffin. Soft bastard.”

I scoff. “There’s nothing soft about him. I had to learn that the hard way.”

Creed studies me with his whiskey eyes, a sad smile pulling up his lips. “I know you feel that way, but if you’re aware of The Celestials, then you have to know they’re pulling our strings. We’re nothing but puppets for them to use, and Griffin is—“

“I don’t want to speak about Griffin right now,” I say curtly.

With an understanding nod, Creed says, “Okay. Forget the big idiot.” He leans closer, like he’s going to steal a kiss.

I put my hand on his chest to stop him. “And I’m not yours. That’s not how this works.”

Creed rumbles his disapproval. A hard determination settles in his eyes. “I’m not letting you go, Ember. Not for anything in this world.”

“Creed,” I mumble, caught off guard by the raw possessiveness in his tone. I’m willing to take baby steps and see where things take us, but Creed’s acting like he’s said fuck baby steps and just went for the leap. “You’ve hurt me too, and if you honestly think I’ll just forget all of that and fall into your arms so easily, then you clearly haven’t learned a thing about me.”

A muscle in his jaw ticks as he slowly inhales through his nose. He rolls his lips together like he’s trying to find the right words. “You always bring me back, you know? From that empty void. That colorless place. You’re the only colors I need anymore. That has to be a sign, Ember. That has to tell you how integral you’ve become in my life,” he explains. “Without you, I think I’d spiral and end up back in that padded room for good.”

When I don’t respond — because I’m literally lost for words — he looks like he’s bordering on gutted hopelessness. “I’ll prove that I’m not the wasted fuck you thought I was. That was a mask, but I won’t wear it in front of you anymore. Just give me a chance to show you who I really am. I’ll earn what you’ve already given me, and everything that’s yet to come. I’ll earn your forgiveness however I can. I have to. Because you’ve never made me feel crazy. Because you chose me that night. And because with you… I don’t feel like a burden the way I do around everyone else.”

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